Digging into: Déjà vu
Have you ever had a feeling that you have seen, felt or heard the experience you are presently experiencing? That is called déjà vu.
As odd as it sounds, it is very common!
But, is your brain having a glitch related to a memory or is there an actual neurological abnormality (an explained biological reason) occurring in your brain?
Besides the fancy words that I just said, what I am trying to explore here is when we experience déjà vu, is there a biological reason why or is it simply a random glitch we experience that can be explained?
Let's get digging.
First, let's talk about the brain. There are four main lobes of the brain: frontal lobe (purple circle), parietal lobe (orange circle), temporal lobe (green circle), and occipital lobe (blue circle). The frontal lobe controls things like cognitive functions (knowledge or reasoning). The parietal lobe controls how you process information. Think: When you touch a hot stove, this is how you know it is hot and will burn you. The occipital lobe controls your vision. Lastly, your temporal lobe controls how you process memories.
Research studies have found that the temporal lobe of the brain is connected to déjà vu.
Meaning that the center that controls how you process memories is what may produce these familiar feelings you experience.
Next, déjà vu has been connected to seizures, specifically seizures in the temporal lobe.
Researchers have found that patients that experience temporal lobe seizures often have déjà vu right before a seizure happens. This is interesting and important to know, because there seems to be a biological tie between this mystical experience and something physically manifesting (the seizure).
Another related topic to déjà vu is the idea of memories or dreams. Those of us that are fortunate to dream (I am not a fortunate one most of the time) will recall real people, places, and objects while they dream. Dreams are often connected to memories because of their connection to reality. However, déjà vu is different, because it is not something we have experienced before but there is an unexplainable familiarity with the experience.
Some science suggests that déjà vu may be a way for us to manifest dreams that we don’t remember.
Although this connection is an interesting one, it is lofty with very early evidence so use this connection with caution.
Lastly, it is important to note that even healthy individuals experience déjà vu, not just those with brain abnormalities.
Not only does this happen in relatively healthy individuals, it happens more in people who have advanced education, who are experiencing stress and fatigue, and who experience mental health disorders, like anxiety.
Even though scientists have been looking into this phenomena for a long time now, there is still no specific answer for what causes déjà vu.
There is no clear answer or explanation, but there are definitely patterns that are seen that are leading scientists to the answer. That is what I like about science. There are never absolute answers. There is never going to be an end-all answer to the questions we look at everyday. The only thing that can be certain is trends, commonalities, evidence, etc. Conclusions are not accepted until data is produced over and over to confirm what the data is saying. Broadly speaking, the topic of déjà vu needs more research to determine what causes the phenomenon.
As always, reach out with questions.
Stay humble,
Emily
